The brain is an incredibly powerful organ, and one of the most exciting findings from recent scientific research is that thoughts are a potent form of energy—you have the power to create what you want from life simply by using the power of your mind.
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For example, when you build a mental image of something that you want to do, you’re honing the skills required to actually do that thing—the brain patterns that are activated are almost identical in both cases. And that is just one way in which your brain is capable of shaping your reality.
Here are ten techniques for creating your perfect day by using your most significant resource—your own brain.
1. Write About What Your Perfect Day Would Be Like
This exercise can be used to outline a vivid description of any goal or dream you have. If you’re looking to manifest an ideal day, so grab a pen and paper and write down exactly what that day looks like. Begin with a description of what you’ll do when you wake, and create a narrative that goes all the way to bedtime.
2. Visualize That Perfect Day
You can use your written description to help you picture your perfect day in your mind’s eye—the more detailed the mental image, the more powerful it will be in lodging the reality of your perfect day in your subconscious. Dedicate at least five minutes a day to fully immersing yourself in this visualization, perhaps right as you get up or just before you go to sleep.
3. Commit To Truly Living Out Your Ideal Day
As leading psychologist Elliot Aronson discusses in his groundbreaking book “The Social Animal”, research shows that committing to something dramatically increases your likelihood of following through.
This commitment can be verbal or in writing, so you might say it as an affirmation (“I commit to creating my perfect day”) or express your commitment in a journal. This is a simple strategy, but it can really help your ideal day come to life.
4. Start With Small Changes
It will take time to create the right habits and build up a way of living that allows your perfect day to manifest naturally. A great place to start is by looking at your written description of your perfect day—find the aspect that’s easiest create right away, and act on it!
For example, if your ideal day involves making time for a relaxing yoga session, take ten minutes to do just that. Repeat your chosen “starting point” habit on a daily basis for several weeks, then pick something else in your description and start working on that.
5. Change Your Thinking
Empirical evidence now makes the power of positive thinking completely undeniable. Your days mirror your thoughts to a large extent, so try to stay focused on the positive—even when you’re stressed, deliberately turn your mind to something that helps soothe you or makes you feel happy.
Just create positive new thought processes, and consciously prompt yourself to follow them until it becomes natural.
6. Work On What You Love
What makes you feel truly passionate and inspired? Start spending more time on it as soon as possible. If you love writing, start a blog or begin writing a short story.
Meanwhile, if you’ve always thrived when painting or drawing, set aside a block of time for that pursuit every day. If the things you love begin to make their way into your life on a daily basis, you’re one step closer to enjoying your perfect day.
7. Create Better Habits
This is perhaps the most important step towards creating your perfect day. But how do you approach the task of creating better habits? Try taking a leaf out of Charles Duhigg’s book on the power of habit in life and business. He explores a method called the “cue-routine-reward” approach, and you can use this too:
- Examine your written account of your perfect day and make an associated list of the specific behaviors you need to accomplish each aspect of that day. As suggested above, start cultivating one behavior at a time.
- Identify a specific cue that will be associated with your chosen behavior. If, say, your perfect day starts with a meditation on positive thoughts, the cue might be “getting out of bed” or “finishing breakfast.”
- Start practicing this habit for five minutes each day.
- Every day, take a minute or so to consider how the new habit is rewarding you. To return to the meditation example, your rewards might be a calmer attitude in the workplace and a happier state of mind. Start to anticipate these rewards each day.
- When you feel your behavior has become an ingrained habit, move on to the next desired habit on the list you compiled based on your vision of the perfect day.
8. Improve Time Management
With all the distractions available in life, it’s easy to waste time. You’ll be more likely to manifest your perfect day if you make some small changes that help with time management.
For example, you might try reducing email checks to just once or twice per day, set timers to help you stay on task, delegate some of your responsibilities to other people, and cut back on the amount of TV you watch.
9. Record Progress
Make a list of actions you want to take each day in order to move closer to experiencing your ideal day, and tick them off as you go. Allow yourself to feel good about this—after all, you’re committing to a type of personal development that will help you reach your full potential!
10. Enjoy The Journey
Finally, try not to obsess about the end result. Instead, enjoy the journey, noticing how your behavior is becoming healthier, more productive and more fulfilling. And don’t feel bad if there are a few setbacks along the way—view them as opportunities to learn.
So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your ideal day right now!
